Even though Persia, not Greece, was the major power in Zechariah’s time, a keen observer might have been able to foresee Greece’s eventual rise to prominence. 491ff). Zechariah’s dated visions and messages in chapters 1–8 all take place in the same general time period as Haggai’s, beginning in October–November 520 BC with a call for the people of Judah to repent (Zechariah 1:1). They would affirm that it was written by a disciple of Zechariah. Acts of Solomon; Iddo Genealogies; Jadon; Story of the Prophet Iddo; Visions of Iddo the Seer; References In that respect, it’s possible to think of the book of Zechariah as a kind of miniature book of Isaiah. Discover more resources related to Zechariah. 4 Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 62-63. To introduce glimpses of reality for the postexilic community from a heavenly standpoint, namely, that “The transcendent God is working out His eternal purpose for Judah and Jerusalem, equipping His covenant people to fulfil [sic] the spiritual role for which He chose them (Zc. She writes, The fact that these chapters are included under the name of Zechariah in our Bibles could mean no more than that they were anonymous writings, known to be authentic prophetic words but, because of their fragmentary nature, in danger of being lost and needing to be included on the scroll allocated to another prophet to save them from extinction. A. The Bible tells us that Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada the high priest, who was stoned to death in the courts of the Temple upon orders from King Joash, who reigned from 835 to 796 B.C. 1. Others have presented lists of stylistic and thematic similarities between the two sections.”5, 2. His coming to Jerusalem is recorded (in Nehemiah 11:4; 12:16), and his ministry is mentioned (in Ezra 5:1; 6:14). Zechariah concluded his book by looking into the distant future, first at the rejection of the Messiah by Israel (9:1–11:17), and then at His eventual reign when Israel will finally be delivered (12:1–14:21). In particular, […] The Book of Zechariah 1:1 and 1:7 mention Iddo as the paternal grandfather of Zechariah. Again, as P. R. Ackroyd comments, ‘The very fact that this linking of 9--14 with 1--8 took place argues for some recognition of common ideas or interests’“13, A. These historical citations confirm that Zechariah was a priest as well as a prophet. AUTHOR: Zechariah the prophet. Revelation is fully developed apocalyptic literature19. In verse 1, the date with the genealogy of the prophet is given; and the reader will note the significant fact that, as in Haggai so here, the … Answer: The prophet Zechariah is just one of over thirty men named Zechariah in the Old Testament. 13 Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 69-70. Cultural references See also. Zechariah was a prophet who lived in the 6th century before the birth of Christ. 9 Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., Interpreting the Minor Prophets, 232. 3. 16 LaSor et al write, These business documents and letters were found on the island of Elephantine, north of the first cataract of the Nile and opposite Aswan. In 410 these Jews wrote a letter to Johanan, high priest at Jerusalem (Neh. Esther the queen of Persia (Esther 1:1).1. Your browser does not support JavaScript. encouragement to the struggling Israelites trying to rebuild their temple. First Return: The first return from Babylonian exile was under Zerubbabel in 538 B.C. He first prophesied in November 520BC (Haggai last prophesied in December 520BC) and likely prophesied for at least a… Unlike chapters 1--8 where Zechariah’s name was mentioned three times (1:1; 1:7; 7:1) it is not mentioned in the last six chapters, b. To portray God’s future plans for His people, Zechariah uses a series of: • 8 visions • 4 messages Zechariah, as part of his priestly duties in the temple, was chosen to enter the Holy Place to burn incense before the Lord (verse 8). The book of Zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic (about the Messiah) passages among the Minor Prophets. . About the Prophet Zechariah: 1. 14 Robert L. Alden, Haggai, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, VII:572; cf. Zech 2:4). A. Hebrew: In Hebrew the book is titled hyrkz meaning “Yahweh remembers”, B. Greek: In Greek the book is titled ZACARIAS, a transliteration from the Hebrew name, 1. It therefore follows that when the biblical record speaks of Nehemiah going to Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Neh 1:1) and again in his thirty-second year (Neh. In 407 they sent a long appeal in the same regard to Bagoas, governor of Judah, in which they mentioned a similar letter to 'Delaiah and Shelemiah, the sons of Sanballat the governor of Samaria. I use all as my study material. I use Pastor Chuck Swindoll's books a lot: Moses, David, Joseph, Esther, Hand Me Another Brick. Zechariah, whose name literally means the LORD has remembered, is one of the twelve Minor Prophets of the Tanakh (Old Testament), so called because the length of his writings (14 chapters) are not as vast as that of Isaiah or Ezekiel, for instance, who are classified as Major Prophets. Only chapters 1–8 contain the prophecies of Zechariah; chapters 9–14 must be attributed to at least two other, unknown authors. It is a post-exilic book, meaning it was written after (post) the return from captivity (exile) in Babylon. 17 Archer writes, This Johanan was a grandson of the Eliashib mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1 and 20 and Nehemiah was a contemporary of Eliashib. In speaking of a return from Egypt and Assyria, Zechariah may have been alluding to the promises of Isaiah (11:11-16) and Hosea (11:11) (Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., Interpreting the Minor Prophets, 232). The Minor Prophets are also sometimes called The Twelve. Recognizing God’s Providence: Fellowship Restored (Gen. 45:1-28). The prophet Zechariah wrote chapters 1-8 approximately 520-518 B.C. While he was ministering in the temple to the Lord, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that he and Elizabeth had been chosen by God to have a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah (verse 17). 1) Nehemiah 8:2 identifies Ezra as Nehemiah’s contemporary, 2) The Elephantine Papyri16 [c. 400 B.C.] Assuming this is the same Sanballat who was the inveterate enemy of Nehemiah (2:19; 4:1 [MT 3:33]), the Artaxerxes referred to in 2:1 must be Artaxerxes I (LaSor, Hubbard, and Bush, Old Testament Survey, 560, n. 33; See also ANET, pp. or Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-359 B.C.)15. It’s just a little temple in comparison with Solomon’s temple and it doesn’t compare at all with the temple that is to be in the age to come. Zechariah (= Remembered of Jehovah) was the second post-exile prophet and a contemporary of Haggai. C. No dates are provided in the text for the two “oracles” in chapters 9--14; this has led to debate about their chronology: 1. Zechariah (his name means “the Eternal has remembered”) was active between 520 and 518, and the sacred task was at last taken up again and finished in 516-515. Book of Zechariah, the 11th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in the Jewish canon in one book, The Twelve. Douay-Rheims Bible Now Aggeus the prophet, and Zacharias the son of Addo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judea and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel. a. Nehemiah 1:2 and 2:1 affirm that the events of Nehemiah occurred in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, b. Nehemiah arrived the first time in Jerusalem twelve-thirteen years after Ezra arrived. The Major Prophets are described as “major” because their books are longer and the content has broad, even global implications. 7 This chart comes from Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 29. 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